ONE-third of the adult wards at Medway Maritime Hospital at Gillingham have been closed to new patients after an outbreak of winter vomiting disease.

The norovirus, which causes diarrhoea and vomiting, has affected eight of the 22 adult wards at the hospital are now closed to new admissions and 40 patients are now ill.

Director of nursing Jacqueline Geoghegan said: "Every effort is being made to contain the virus which originated in the community and was brought into the hospital by patients and visitors.

"As an extra precautionary measure, visiting times for all wards are being restricted to two hours from 6 to 8pm with a maximum of two visitors per patient. This is to allow extra cleaning and prevent further spreading of the virus.

"We thank patients and visitors for supporting us in this action to contain the outbreak. They may be assured that we have the situation under control and will reopen the wards to new admissions just as soon as it is safe and sensible for us to do so."

Patients who are medically fit to be discharged from the wards must have shown no sign or symptoms of norovirus for at least 48 hours.

The affected wards are Byron, Dickens, Gundulph, Nelson, Tennyson, Wakeley and Will Adams and MAU/Bronte.

Other hospitals across Kent have also been affected by the virus. Norovirus, otherwise known as viral gastro-enteritis, is still popularly known as winter vomiting disease, although it occurs throughout the year.

The symptoms, including diarrhoea, nausea, abdominal cramps, headache, muscle aches and chills and fever, usually last 24 to 48 hours. Most people make a full and speedy recovery.

Meanwhile, 10 out of 13 wards at the Kent and Sussex Hospital at Tunbridge Wells had to be closed to new patients at the height of an outbreak of the winter vomiting bug.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust says the hospital has been dealing with more than 40 cases of the diarrhoea and vomiting illness, with 35 patients and seven staff suffering symptoms associated with the Norwalk virus.

Ambulances carrying emergency patients had to be temporarily diverted to Maidstone A&E on Friday and deep clean procedures have been enforced in wards.

Three wards had re-opened by today and the A&E department had resumed treating new emergency patients.

Brenda Greatrex, lead infection control nurse for the hospital, said: "We saw our first cases of patients with diarrhoea and vomiting at Kent and Sussex betwen Christmas and New Year and are following some strict hygiene procedures to stop the virus from spreading."

The hospital is not admitting new patients on to the affected wards while patients are recovering from illness. The wards are undergoing a special clean, and visitors are being asked to help prevent the spread of infection."

Mrs Greatrex addedd: "Visitors to the hospital can help us by using the alcohol gel dispensers outside the wards to clean their hands before seeing their loved ones and on leaving wards too."

Visitors are being asked not to sit on patients' beds and not to enter hospital wards if they feel unwell.